Adeoluwa OA, Nneda OJ, Onyinye AG, Akinluyi ET, Racheal AF, Adedamola F, Kate N, Edem EE, Taghogho EA, Badamasi A. Quercetin abrogates lipopolysaccharide-induced depressive-like symptoms by inhibiting neuroinflammation via microglial NLRP3/NFκB/iNOS signaling pathway.
Behav Brain Res 2023;
450:114503. [PMID:
37209878 DOI:
10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114503]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Major depressive disorder is a serious psychiatric illness having serious damaging effect on the quality of life of suffers. Quercetin is a plant flavonoid, mostly used as a constituent in dietary products. This study evaluated antidepressant effect of quercetin on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced depression in rats.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Twenty-one male rats were randomly assigned into three groups (n= 7): group 1 (vehicle only), group 2 (quercetin), group 3 (LPS). Rats were treated with vehicle (10mL/kg, p.o.) or quercetin (50mg/kg, p.o.) for seven days. Sixty minutes after treatment on day seven, all animals were injected with LPS (0.83mg/kg, i.p.) except group 1 (vehicle only). Twenty-four hours after LPS injection, animals were assessed for depressive symptoms using forced swim, sucrose splash and open field tests. Animals were sacrificed; brain samples collected for bioassay of pro-inflammatory mediators, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-17 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) while expressions of NF-κB, inflammasomes, microglia and iNOS were quantified by immunohistochemistry.
RESULTS
The LPS significantly (p<0.05) decreased mobility of rats in FST and decreased sucrose preference, which is indicative of depressive-like behaviours. These behaviours were significantly (p<0.05) attenuated by quercetin compared to control (vehicle only). Following LPS exposure, the expressions of inflammasomes, NF-κB, iNOS, proinflammatory cytokines and microglia positive cells in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex were significantly (p<0.05) elevated. All these were attenuated by pretreating animals with quercetin.
CONCLUSION
Quercetin exhibit antidepressant-like property, which may be related to inhibition of neuroinflammatory signaling pathways.
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